Fishing off the bottom?

antiquea · Apr 22, 2018

As in the bait just sitting there suspended in midwater. I normally fish on the bottom, or on the drop with plenty of recasting.

Would the bait just suspended mid-water not look very unnatural to the fish?

Sorry for the noob question.

markcw · Apr 22, 2018

not if you ping a bit of bait at your float on a little and often basis and not leave your bait lifeless in the water.

peterjg · Apr 22, 2018

This is a good question, I also think that it is 'odd' for a fish to take a suspended off- bottom bait!? I nearly always fish with the bait on the bottom but have caught roach to 1lb 14oz with the float drifting across the swim (stillwater undertow) with bait(maggots) close to the bottom. This has also worked with hemp.

Once I was struggling to catch (not unusual) on a small lake and an angler opposite was fishing well off of the bottom and he had a great catch of specimen roach!

I can't get my head around this presentation at all?!

103841 · Apr 22, 2018

Different species generally enjoy feeding at different depths, the shape of their mouth often indicates this, the Rudd for example has an upturned mouth and is easily caught just below the surface taking food from above. Some fish are renowned bottom feeders, the tench for example.

Water temperature plays a big part and fish often find the warmest layer. Food comes from two areas, the bed or above the water, insects etc.

Some fish are so greedy they’ll take food from anywhere, I won’t say carp.

sagalout · Apr 22, 2018

I fish up in water a lot but keep the bait moving and a feed going in on a regular basis. I catch all species like this including renown bottom feeders like tench and brim. Roach are very particular to it.

rich66 · Apr 22, 2018

My local tackle shop advised me to try this method, still trying to get my head around it. Not sure of the shooting pattern or how often and how many maggots to feed is getting me.
I find if I feed too many it drives the fish back down again and too few/not often enough they move on.
I was told 1/2 pint is enough for 4 hours or so fishing this way.
Shot wise I’ve loaded my float with the bulk all at the waggler end and very few no 8 down the line.
Must say I’ve had some lovely roach upto 1lb using this method.

nottskev · Apr 22, 2018

It's a good question. When I first learned to fish, I took it as a kind of rule that you plumbed up then set your rig to put the bait laid on, just on or fractionally off the bottom; that was the right presentation, I was told. It took me quite a long time to twig that that was limiting my options and that fish don't always want a bait in that way. So now I generally plumb carefully, mark the depth against rod or pole, and start on or near the bottom. But I don't think twice about sliding the float up to whatever depth to see what happens. A good clue to fish feeding at mid-depth is when you get bites on the drop. With the depth marked, you can always revert to full depth in a few seconds. Don't be afraid to experiment - I also used to think you put the bait in and left it; it's clear that lifting your bait out and letting it fall again is often the much better way.

antiquea · Apr 22, 2018

When fishing on the bottom, should my bait be just touching, or laid on over depth?

Surely just touching for bottom feeders? In regards to pole and waggler, of course - not ledgering haha

103841 · Apr 22, 2018

I've been fishing the estate lake a few times recently. My mindset for tench is bait on the deck. What I'm experiencing is far more debris than I found last year, a Winter of strong winds has stripped the trees of twigs and small branches and it's making fishing on the deck frustrating, false bites with the tow and often bringing up a leaf or twig on the hook. Tench are renowned for burrowing into the silt for food but I'm not filled with confidence wondering if my bait is snagged or buried.

Plummeting accurately with this type of situation isn't so straightforward, I usethe lightest shot that takes a pole float under and even then the results vary from one inch to another along the lake bed. As Kev says, experimenting is key and just moving a float up or down the line by a centimetre or two could make a vast difference. Because I'm never too sure I recast every few minutes.

barbelboi · Apr 22, 2018

antiquea said:
When fishing on the bottom, should my bait be just touching, or laid on over depth?

A lot depends on the species you're fishing for and the contours and type of of bottom. I.e. if I were fishing for crucians I would generally fish a couple of inches over depth due to the angle that they feed (nose down). Also, the bottom is never going to be 100% level so unless you are going to be 100% accurate where you drop your float every cast (after careful plumbing) you may well not be 'just touching'.

thecrow · Apr 22, 2018

s63 said:
Tench are renowned for burrowing into the silt for food

Mud pigs? :wh:wh

103841 · Apr 22, 2018

I couldn't possibly comment.

rayner · Apr 22, 2018

I only use a plummet in colder months on the whole.
Warmer times I am convinced the places where I fish the fish I catch are all up in the water. The kiss of death to fishing off bottom is a stationary bait. Keep the bait moving to attract bites.
Both silver fish and carp rarely stick on the bottom to my mind, the warmer the weather the higher the fish.
If I fish on the bottom it's in the margin, shallower the better.

nottskev · Apr 22, 2018

s63 said:
I've been fishing the estate lake a few times recently. My mindset for tench is bait on the deck. What I'm experiencing is far more debris than I found last year, a Winter of strong winds has stripped the trees of twigs and small branches and it's making fishing on the deck frustrating, false bites with the tow and often bringing up a leaf or twig on the hook. Tench are renowned for burrowing into the silt for food but I'm not filled with confidence wondering if my bait is snagged or buried.

Plummeting accurately with this type of situation isn't so straightforward, I usethe lightest shot that takes a pole float under and even then the results vary from one inch to another along the lake bed. As Kev says, experimenting is key and just moving a float up or down the line by a centimetre or two could make a vast difference. Because I'm never too sure I recast every few minutes.

Thinking about fishing in the debris on the bottom..... a couple of my favourite waters have overhanging trees, and, like you, I find quite a bit of associated debris on the bottom. I haven't really got an answer beyond the obvious - keeping the end shotting light, keeping it still (pole helps here) and checking frequently. A related problem is fishing for tench over soft weed, and I remember that local anglers came up with a clever way to floatfish for tench across a weedy stretch of the Leeds -Liverpool canal. Their answer was to fish well overdepth and string out tiny no.12 shot across the last 2 to 3 feet - enough to brake the tendency o drift through but light enough not to sink your bait into the weed.

103841 · Apr 22, 2018

What I haven't done this season yet is to get the rake out, some gardening tomorrow maybe.

antiquea · Apr 22, 2018

barbelboi said:
A lot depends on the species you're fishing for and the contours and type of of bottom. I.e. if I were fishing for crucians I would generally fish a couple of inches over depth due to the angle that they feed (nose down). Also, the bottom is never going to be 100% level so unless you are going to be 100% accurate where you drop your float every cast (after careful plumbing) you may well not be 'just touching'.

That is a very good point actually. Hoping to take on some carp and bream next week.

john step · Apr 22, 2018

Relating to still waters. Off the bottom species I find are rudd and carp . Sometimes the roach want it nailed to the deck but when it comes to hemp and tares they are suckers for off the bottom tares.

What I have found on crucian waters is that when they are particularly difficult they can give better more hittable bites about 6 inches up. Instead of a fine sensitive tip I use a stubby tiny waggler with the top just in the surface tension. The float then just slides away.

antiquea · Apr 22, 2018

What is a good way to mark the depth on the rod? I was thinking of an elastic band? Don't want to use any kind of permanent marker.

wetthrough · Apr 22, 2018

Oddly enough I've just bought a chinagraph pencil. Haven't used it on the bank yet but it seems to work. I think the downside will be it getting wet.
The body is made from a rolled strip of paper with a cotton stripper to make it easier to 'sharpen' but being paper it has the potential to get sodden.
As luck would have it I had some small diameter tubing with end caps from a delivery that it goes in nicely.

thecrow · Apr 22, 2018

antiquea said:
What is a good way to mark the depth on the rod? I was thinking of an elastic band? Don't want to use any kind of permanent marker.

Insulating tape, comes off easy at the end of the session or to be moved to another depth.

Fishing off the bottom?

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